Oregon football: Even after slipping to No. 2, Ducks are in position for ultimate prize

The OregonianEven under national championship pressure, Chip Kelly keeps his humor.

Saturday's Civil War is the biggest game in the history of Oregon football. The reward for victory is a shot at the national championship.

"It's the biggest game we'll ever play in our lives, and we've changed our entire practice schedule accordingly for it,'' Ducks coach Chip Kelly said. "We're actually going to have three-a-days to prepare for this one.''

That, of course, is Kelly injecting a little levity. After all, his mantra of "Win the Day'' already has won the Pacific-10 Conference and has put the Ducks in position to climb to the greatest height.

They might have to do it from below the top rung, though. In the latest BCS standings released Sunday night, Auburn - one of three unbeatens, along with Oregon and TCU - slipped ahead of the Ducks into the No. 1 spot, after Oregon enjoyed that perch for four weeks. The margin was almost as slim as possible (.9779 to .9777), but it means nothing, as one equals two in BCS math.

Oregon (11-0, 8-0 Pac-10) needs only to beat Oregon State (5-6, 4-4), and the Ducks will be playing in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 10. The realization has begun to sink in, as players talked about the big prize after Friday night's 48-29 win over Arizona, and it's certainly all the fans want to talk about.

"If someone tells me they got tickets to Glendale, I'll tell him it's going to be a real long view because we're playing in Corvallis,'' Kelly said. "I'm glad people are excited about where this football program is. But because someone is telling me that they want us to play in the national championship game doesn't mean I'm going to come back in my office and take a nap.''

As for the three-a-days? Well, practices will be closed to the public and the media, but other than that, it will be the same old routine.

"It's worked 21 times and didn't work three times,'' Kelly said. "So we're going to stick with it.''

Oregon State is coming off a 38-0 loss to Stanford, which moved into fourth place in the latest BCS standings. That result is a factor that led oddsmakers to make the Ducks 15-point favorites against the Beavers.

"Hey, watch the tape the week before when they dismantled USC,'' Kelly said. "Teams play up, teams play down. We know we always get everybody's best shot, and everybody gives their best shot when you're in a Civil War.''

Kelly outlined why Oregon State is still a team to be reckoned with. He called Stephen Paea the best defensive lineman in the country, the defense a "solid 4-3 ... very aggressive ... a good operation.''

He called Jacquizz Rodgers as good a back as there is in the country and Ryan Katz "a really athletic quarterback (who) is going to be a little bit for us to handle.''

Rodgers missed the 2008 Civil War, but the Oregon defense contained him in last year's Civil War. Rodgers gained 64 yards on 16 carries in the Ducks' 37-33 win that clinched the Rose Bowl, but Kelly said the 5-foot-7, 191-pound back still presents a major challenge.

"The challenge isn't because of his size, the challenge is because of his talent,'' Kelly said. "He's got great vision, great balance. He's extremely strong, you can't knock him off his feet. He knows how to set up blocks.

"That's the challenge - it's got nothing to do with the size of Jacquizz - it's all his other skills, his ability to change direction, to stop on a dime, his ability to take a hit and give a hit.''

Rodgers' counterpart, LaMichael James played with a toughness belying his 5-9, 185-pound frame against Arizona. He had 126 yards on 28 carries despite taking some hard hits, one of which limited his vision in his right eye, James said after the game.

"I thought LaMichael played outstanding,'' Kelly said. "He's a tough kid - took a couple big shots from Adam Hall but just kept battling away. He's the engine that drives us offensively.''

It's hard to say how much work James will get in practice this week. He was held out for much of last week with a bruised left leg.

The Ducks probably will welcome back punter Jackson Rice, who missed the Arizona game with an illness, forcing the team to burn the redshirt of punter/kicker Alejandro Maldonado. Kelly said he saw Rice on Sunday but didn't ask how he was feeling.

Speaking of injuries, Kelly complimented the University of California administration for suspending defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi after Lupoi admitted he told his players to fake injuries in an effort to slow down Oregon in the Ducks' 15-13 win in Berkeley.

"The horse is already out of the barn,'' Kelly said. "They closed the door after the fact.''

Faked injuries, we assume, are now in the past. It was a hot topic, but now the only topic is the Civil War and what it could mean to Oregon. Kelly still wants to win the day, but he's aware of what a day it would be with a win.

"It's a big deal for the state of Oregon,'' Kelly said. "This game is a huge deal throughout the country. People want to see it, people want to talk about it.''

Notes: Brad Nessler will do the play-by-play with analysis from Todd Blackledge. Erin Andrews will be the sideline reporter on ABC after the visit to Corvallis by ESPN's "College GameDay'' crew.